History Recap / DinosaursS04E07ChangingNature

'''Richfield:''' Well, that's fourth-quarter problem! We'll drop a bomb on that bridge when we come to it! Right now, my biggest problem is trying to figure out… what to do with all this money! (he begins laughing as he throws heaps of bills into the air)

'''Earl:''' Nonsense. There's a wide variety of commercial snack foods that have virtually no natural ingredients. \\
'''Fran:''' Ear! We can't live on Ho-Ho's!

'''Richfield:''' Well, that's fourth-quarter problem! We'll drop a bomb on that bridge when we come to it!

* DescriptionCut: Twice by Howard Handupme.
** During the leadup to the Bunch Beetles

** During the first news report on the cider poppy crisis.

* ImplausibleDeniability: Earl denies the damage caused by Richfield and [=WESAYSO=]'s methods until it is far too late to be reversed.

'''Earl:''' Nonsense. There's a wide variety of commercial snack foods that have virtually no natural ingredients.

''Earl:''' Adjust gas flow meter to desired output.

-->'''Earl:''' Adjust gas flow meter to desired output.

-->'''Earl:''' What happened to my beer?

-->'''Earl:''' Adjust gas flow meter to desired output.\\

-->'''Earl:''' What happened to my beer?\\

* DescriptionCut: When the Sinclars start complaining about how the defoliant has wiped out all plant life, Earl confidently brags that the Task Force advisor will know exactly how to bring back the plants. Cut to Mr. Richfield, the advisor, yelling to Earl about how he doesn't know how to restore the plants.

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Robbie and Charlene both disagree with the idea of using poison to kill the Cider Puppies, and ask Earl if they could use more harmless solutions (like living with this discomfort for a while, hoping that nature would find its way to fix itself), but the latter rejects it as it would be too boring and time consuming.

* BookEnds:

* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: When Earl tries to explain how the company's actions may have triggered the EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, Richfield doesn't get it. All he sees is dinosaurs buying [=WESAYSO=] winter gear products in droves, making him tons of money.

** Throughout the series, Richfield has threatened to kill Earl and his entire family. Well, this episode makes that prophecy come true, even if he wasn’t intending to do it.

* FromBadToWorse: First, all but one Bunch Beetles are wiped out by the WESAYSO Corporation to built a wax fruit factory on their breeding ground, causing the cider poppies to grow out of control. Then all the plants are killed by the poison used to kill the cider poppies. And finally, in an attempt to revive the plants, the dinosaurs dropped bombs on volcanoes to create clouds, only to create even denser clouds that block out the sun, provoking the ice age and dooming everyone.

->''"And taking a look at the long-range forecast: continued snow, darkness, and extreme cold. This is Howard Handupme. Good night... Good-bye."''

* KarmaHoudini: While Earl gets (and eventually, accepts) the blame for approving of poisoning plant life and causing the Ice Age, it is really the fault of Mr. Richfield and [=WESAYSO=]. [=WESAYSO=] is responsible for killing off the Bunch Beetles, while Mr. Richfield forms a task force just to keep their troubles away, volunteering Earl to lead so he'll get the blame, and the Ice Age succeeds in bringing profits to the company. Richfield doesn't even care about the world coming to an end since he only cares about the money he's making. The public doesn't realize that [=WESAYSO=] organized a task force, evident when Earl declines to say what company provided the defoliant. We all know Richfield can only enjoy his earning for so long once the Ice Age claims his customers, and he won't be alive long enough to really enjoy his earnings. So yeah, no ''on-screen'' karma, but it's a nice thought to know he'll get his just desserts eventually.

* ContinuitySnarl: "Power Erupts" established Richfield's boss (and [=WESAYSO=]'s CEO) to be named "Mr. Ashland". But when Richfield is seen being called by his boss here, he addresses him as "Mr. Getty".

''[SmashCut to the WESAYSO office where Richfield shouts...]''\\

* DarkestHour: Of the entire series as explained below.

->''"And taking a look at the long-range forecast, continued snow, darkness, and extreme cold. This is Howard Handupme. Good night... Good-bye."''

* TheDinosaursHadItComing: '''Big Time''' Both Earl and [=WESAYSO=] are ultimately responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, first by causing the Bunch Beetles' extinction, killing all plant life, and then causing an ice age accompanied by smoke clouds.

* TheDinosaursHadItComing: Both Earl and [=WESAYSO=] are ultimately responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, first by causing the Bunch Beetles' extinction, killing all plant life, and then causing an ice age accompanied by smoke clouds.

* TheDinosaursHadItComing: A '''major''' example, as the sapient dinosaurs that the series focused on end up as the cause of their own extinction by destroying the environment.
** They start off by building a wax factory over the breeding grounds of the Bunch Beetles and kill all of them except for [[LastOfHisKind Stan]].
** Then, after the Cider Poppies, a type of creeper vine, starts growing out of control without the Bunch Beetles to keep their numbers in control, the dinosaurs spray defoliant all over Pangaea, which successfully kills the Cider Poppies - [[GoneHorriblyRight but also kills all other plant life as well]].
** The final straw is when Richfield has the [[SarcasmMode brilliant]] idea to make rain clouds to bring the plants back - by ''dropping bombs into volcanoes''. In the end, however, what comes out of the clouds that the erupting volcanoes produce is not rain, but snow, and Pangaea is now a snow-covered, barren wasteland of endless nighttime that will last for tens of thousands of years, and as a result, the dinosaurs are doomed to extinction.

* DownerEnding: And how! After the efforts to take care of the excessive growth of cider poppies results in all plant life on the planet being killed, attempts to make plants grow again leads to the Ice Age, ensuring that the dinosaurs including the Sinclairs will die from any mix of starvation, chilling temperatures, and lack of oxygen. It's also implied, though not confirmed onscreen, [[EveryoneDiesEnding that both the mammals and cavepeople are also going to perish due to the dinosaurs' stupidity.]]

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The WESAYSO corporation building a wax fruit factory over the Bunch Beetles mating ground and sprays them with insecticide, causing the entire species to become extinct, making Stan the LastOfHisKind. The company also kills the cider poppies with defoliant, but also destroys all plant life, resulting in a famine. Mr. Richfield then comes up with an idea: drop bombs inside the volcanoes in order to create clouds, which would bring rain. Soon, the thick clouds cover the entire planet, including the Sun, thus causing temperatures to drop dramatically. On the news, Howard Handupme reports that it would be tens of thousands of years before the Sun shines again, creating the Ice Age.

* KarmaHoudini: While Earl gets (and eventually, accepts) the blame for approving of poisoning plant life and causing the Ice Age, it is really the fault of Mr. Richfield and [=WESAYSO=]. [=WESAYSO=] is responsible for killing off the Bunch Beetles, while Mr. Richfield forms a task force just to keep their troubles away, volunteering Earl to lead so he'll get the blame, and the Ice Age succeeds in bringing profits to the company. Richfield doesn't even care about the world coming to an end since he only cares about the money he's making. The public doesn't realize that [=WESAYSO=] organized a task force, evident when Earl declines to say what company provided the defoliant. We all know Richfield can only enjoy his earning for so long once the Ice Age claims his customers, and he won't be alive long enough to really enjoy his earnings. So yeah, no ''on-screen'' karma, but it's a nice thought to know he'll own up in the end.

Howard Handumpe wraps up his news report and the show by looking at the long-range weather forecast, which marks the beginning of the Ice Age. With that, he solemnly wishes his viewers, and us, "goodnight... goodbye".